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Deployment and Hosting

📚 Lesson 13 of 15 ⏱️ 60 min

Deployment and Hosting

60 min

ASP.NET Core applications can be deployed to various hosting environments (Azure, AWS, on-premises servers, Docker containers), providing flexibility in deployment strategies. Deployment involves publishing the application, configuring the hosting environment, and ensuring dependencies are available. Understanding deployment enables getting applications into production. Deployment is the final step in the development lifecycle.

Azure provides excellent support for ASP.NET Core applications with App Service (managed web hosting), Azure Functions (serverless), and Azure Container Instances (container hosting). Azure App Service handles scaling, load balancing, and SSL certificates automatically. Azure Functions enable serverless deployment. Understanding Azure deployment enables cloud-native applications. Azure is popular for ASP.NET Core hosting.

Docker containers make it easy to deploy applications consistently across different environments (development, staging, production), packaging applications and dependencies into portable containers. Dockerfiles define container images. Containers run the same way everywhere, eliminating 'works on my machine' issues. Understanding Docker enables consistent deployments. Docker is standard for modern deployment.

Deployment strategies include continuous deployment (automatic deployment on code changes), blue-green deployment (running two identical environments and switching), and rolling deployment (gradually updating instances). Each strategy has benefits for different scenarios. Understanding deployment strategies enables safe, reliable deployments. Deployment strategies minimize downtime and risk.

Configuration for different environments (development, staging, production) uses environment variables, configuration files, and Azure App Settings. Environment-specific configuration enables applications to work correctly in each environment. Understanding environment configuration enables flexible deployment. Configuration management is essential for deployment.

Best practices include using CI/CD pipelines for automated deployment, testing in staging before production, using health checks for monitoring, implementing proper logging, and having rollback procedures. Understanding deployment enables reliable application delivery. Deployment requires careful planning and execution.

Key Concepts

  • ASP.NET Core applications can be deployed to various hosting environments.
  • Azure provides excellent support with App Service and Functions.
  • Docker containers enable consistent deployments across environments.
  • Deployment strategies minimize downtime and risk.
  • Environment-specific configuration is essential for deployment.

Learning Objectives

Master

  • Deploying ASP.NET Core applications to various hosting environments
  • Using Azure App Service for hosting
  • Containerizing applications with Docker
  • Configuring applications for different environments

Develop

  • Understanding deployment strategies
  • Designing deployment pipelines
  • Appreciating deployment's role in application lifecycle

Tips

  • Use CI/CD pipelines for automated, reliable deployment.
  • Test in staging before deploying to production.
  • Use Docker for consistent deployments across environments.
  • Configure applications using environment variables.

Common Pitfalls

  • Not testing in staging, causing production issues.
  • Not having rollback procedures, making recovery difficult.
  • Not configuring environments properly, causing runtime errors.
  • Not monitoring deployed applications, missing issues.

Summary

  • ASP.NET Core applications can be deployed to various hosting environments.
  • Azure and Docker provide excellent deployment options.
  • Deployment strategies minimize downtime and risk.
  • Understanding deployment enables reliable application delivery.
  • Deployment is essential for getting applications to users.

Exercise

Create a Dockerfile for your ASP.NET Core application.

# Dockerfile
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:7.0 AS base
WORKDIR /app
EXPOSE 80
EXPOSE 443

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:7.0 AS build
WORKDIR /src
COPY ["MyApp.csproj", "./"]
RUN dotnet restore "MyApp.csproj"
COPY . .
RUN dotnet build "MyApp.csproj" -c Release -o /app/build

FROM build AS publish
RUN dotnet publish "MyApp.csproj" -c Release -o /app/publish

FROM base AS final
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=publish /app/publish .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "MyApp.dll"]

Code Editor

Output